Both provided statements which said an investigation had been launched into historical abuse allegations.

But they gave no clue as to the horrific nature and sheer scale of what was being alleged and what I was about to uncover.

I began researching Aston Hall thoroughly and it turned out to be a former mental hospital near Derby which closed some years ago. There's often no better way than to start in your own newspaper archives.

Intriguingly, a number of people had written letters asking for other people who had stayed there over the years to get in touch.

The Horrors of Aston Hall

I turned to Facebook and Google. Hidden away, on a very obscure page, was a comment about Dr Kenneth Milner. A former patient went into detail about how he had impacted her life.

It talked about being experimented on, tied up and pumped full of drugs. I made contact immediately and soon found a small number of people who were making similar allegations.

What they were all saying sounded frightening but also very similar. They said they were taken to Aston Hall as youngsters after getting into trouble - often minor incidents.

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They were the sort of young people who would rightly be given all the help and support in the world to improve their lives.

Back then, in the 1960s and 70s, they were sent to Aston Hall.

They said they were taken there, despite not having clear reasons why. They said they were put in a cell. Dr Milner would arrive, often with other staff, and they were given an injection and made to wear a mask.

He then allegedly administered drugs, including ether and sodium amytal - known as a "truth serum".

Dr Milner would then ask disturbing questions about their family life and early years. Some victims have claimed he sexually abused them. He died in 1976.

Dr Kenneth Milner

Every account from victims in those early days was strikingly similar and chilling.

On February 23, 2016, we published our first story about Aston Hall online. This was followed by several pages in the next day's newspaper, including one of the most striking front page stories the Derby Telegraph has run this decade.

Putting the story together in those early days was truly a team effort here.

The newsdesk, subbed and checked that the copy was legally sound. They also helped a great deal in the general direction of the story.

Former editor Neil White coined the phrase "Horrors of Aston Hall". The picture desk dug out an old black and white photographs of the Aston Hall building which was used on the frontpage.

The content editors created great artwork and wrote strong headlines to make the paper look fantastic. It was clear we thought this was a major story.

Our online strategy was to publish a number of separate stories to begin with.

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The next morning, I arrived at work to emails from people claiming they had gone through the same experience and were stunned it had finally come out.

The phone calls did not stop. There were visits in reception from people saying they were also victims. The story was followed up by national media across the UK.

More harrowing stories were told in the next day's newspaper.

The frontpage headline was "How many more are there?"

Twelve people had now come forward to say they were abused.

More alleged victims came forward and, the next day, we obtained a letter they had been sent from the NHS which said "we have no reason to doubt your claims".

This was a huge moment and was a massive sign of relief. These were the words of NHS professionals and they could not be clearer.

They said: "Please be reassured that we have no reason to doubt your claims. We are taking your experiences very seriously and Dr Milner's death will not prevent a thorough and robust investigation from being undertaken."

More and more people came forward, placing their trust in the Derby Telegraph to tell their stories.

The number of alleged victims going to the police was also rapidly increasing.

David Cameron, then Prime Minister, said: “I’m very happy to give my honourable friend that assurance. She is absolutely right to raise this. They are very serious allegations and it is vital the full facts are considered.

“My understanding is the police, the local authority and the NHS are working together and there is an inquiry process under the Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board in line with its procedures. I would encourage anybody who knows anything about this to come forward and give their evidence to that board.”

This brought us up to March 9, where, by now, 39 people had come forward to claim Dr Milner abused and experimented on them.

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A number of solicitors were now involved, representing victims to get them compensation. The shocking stories continued. Including one victim who said he was so terrified of doctors and dentists he pulled out his own teeth.

Another fled to Australia to escape the painful memories Aston Hall brought them and, by the end of July, more than 50 alleged victims had come forward.

In April 2017, police sent the complainants a letter which said 58 alleged crimes had been recorded and, weeks later, officers revealed the number of victims had reached more than 100.

From a very small number of people it had now grown into Derbyshire police's biggest ever child abuse investigation.

Our investigation also won a number of industry awards. This included Scoop Of The Year at the "industry Oscars" - the Regional Press Awards in 2017, along with two commondations. The Derby Telegraph won Newspaper Of The Year at the same awards, where the judges praised our investigation.

The scandal also won me Story Of The Year at the Midlands Media Awards later that year.

That was obviously a huge source of pride. But none of it would have been possible if not for the bravery of those who came forward and helped me tell this horrific story.